"You are the Emperor of Ayodhya," Dhritarashtra declared.

"Yes, Maharaj, and this fact is known to all the elders of your family. Now, please provide an answer to my question. Why were you silent when this heinous incident was taking place? Why were the elders of this family silent?" Karna's voice resonated with anger.

"Answer my husband's question," Madirakshi interjected angrily.

"No answer? Fine, then I will administer punishment to the culprits responsible for Devika's suffering. Mahamahim Bhishma, I order you to execute Gandhar Raj Shakuni immediately," Karna commanded with rage.

"No, Emperor, I cannot perform such an act now. I will always obey your orders. Sister Gandhari helped me," Shakuni pleaded fearfully.

"No, brother, I will not help you. You intended to destroy my lineage for the sake of your revenge. I cannot take any risks with you. My son's safety is of utmost importance to me," Gandhari replied, her heart heavy with sorrow over the incident but understanding that her brother's demise was crucial for her son's welfare.

"Emperor, what is your decision?" Bhishma inquired, his satisfaction growing as Karna put an end to this senseless act, almost fulfilling his desire to eliminate his arch-nemesis.

"Kill him! Gangaputra, it is my order," Karna declared in a voice seething with anger.

Bhishma unsheathed his sword and began advancing toward Shakuni. His joy was boundless as he realized that now Hastinapur would be safe from the machinations of this mastermind.

Shakuni trembled in fear and attempted to flee, but Karna had already sealed the doors of the Rajya Sabha. Desperate, Shakuni pleaded for his life, but Karna remained deaf to his pleas. Shakuni comprehended how Devika must have felt when no one came to her rescue.

In no time, Bhishma closed in on Shakuni and swiftly severed his head, ending the reign of the puppeteer responsible for all the troubles faced by Hastinapur. The people of Hastinapur rejoiced, liberated from the manipulator who had caused so much strife.

Dhritarashtra was struck with a sudden realization and guilt consumed him. He had remained silent, failing to speak up for his Kulvadhu. Filled with remorse, he hurried toward Devika, apologizing profusely, seeking her forgiveness.

Devika smiled warmly at Dhritarashtra and replied, "I hold no grudge against the elders of this family."

After a few moments, Duryodhana, Dushasan, Ashwathama, and the Pandavas regained consciousness, their heads throbbing with pain. As they saw Shakuni's severed head on the floor, they cried out in shock and horror.

Dushasan caught sight of Karna, Madirakshi, and exclaimed, "Mitra and sister, you are here."

"Do not call me sister, Rajkumar Dushasan," Madirakshi retorted angrily.

"But why?" Duryodhana inquired.

"Then listen, all eight of you, to what transpired in this Sabha," Karna said, recounting the events starting from the Rajsuya Yagya.

Tears welled up in the eyes of all eight individuals. They immediately approached Devika and pleaded for forgiveness.

"Prepare yourselves for your punishment, you eight princes," Karna said with anger.

"We will accept any punishment from you, Mitra," Duryodhana and Ashwathama said in unison.

"Very well, then. Remove all your royal garments and jewelry from the upper part of your bodies, as criminals are not fit for such attire," Karna stated firmly. He then instructed them to change into white dhotis. They complied, following his orders.

Karna commanded the soldiers to bring handcuffs and ordered them to secure the culprits' hands and legs with them. He also commanded Maharaj Dhritarashtra not to intervene, to which Dhritarashtra nodded in agreement.

Gandhari added, "No one shall interfere in your punishment, for these eight men have crossed all limits."

Karna instructed the soldiers to escort them to the prison and flog them fifty times a day with a whip. If they cried out, they were to be whipped an additional ten times, with the number of lashes increasing by ten each day. They were to be provided with only one meal, fit for criminals, for lunch, and they had to sleep on the floor. They would share a single cell.

All eight individuals nodded in acceptance of Karna's punishment. The soldiers led them to Hastinapur's harshest prison.

"I have entrusted Mahamahim Bhishma with the responsibility of overseeing this punishment," Karna declared, his anger evident.

Devika felt a sense of satisfaction as she witnessed the punishment being handed out to the culprits. Her train of thought was interrupted by Karna's voice, as he apologized to her for the nefarious acts committed against her.

Devika nodded appreciatively and replied, "Thank you, Angaraj. You have defended the honor of a woman. Though I was her mirror image, I felt her pain. You have done the right thing, Angraj."

"There is no need for thanks. It was my duty as a brother and as an Emperor to put an end to it," Karna responded.

Kunti escorted Devika to Vidur's house, as the latter had no desire to stay at the Hastinapur palace.

When Madirakshi, Bhanumati, Amrita, and Meenakshi learned of the events, they felt a mix of concern and relief, knowing that their husbands would now remain on the path of dharma.

***

At Vidur's house, Devika wept like a child, her emotions overwhelming her. Kunti and Sulabha worried for her deeply. Vidur and Bhishma, on the other hand, felt immense relief as the nonsense had been halted in the nick of time, and the culprits had received their due punishment. They found solace in Shakuni's demise.

They also observed Gandhari's fury as she beat her husband with a stick for not preventing the despicable act. She delivered a lecture on ethics to her sons and her husband.

The eight culprits now resided in jail, their punishment about to commence. The soldiers bound them to standing pillars, their hands and legs secured with unbreakable chains. Karna had instructed that they be whipped only on their backs and stomachs, ensuring they experienced pain. The punishment began, and the pain became unbearable for all of them, granting them a taste of what Devika had endured.

They dared not scream, for doing so would only result in more lashes, teaching them firsthand how Devika must have felt when she pleaded for help, receiving none. They accepted the punishment willingly, acknowledging their transgressions.

Ashwathama let out two screams, leading to an additional thirty lashes. Duryodhana and Dushasana screamed five and eight times, respectively, resulting in fifty and eighty more lashes. Yudhishthira suffered the most, having broken his wife's trust, and he screamed the loudest. The remaining four Pandavas managed to suppress their screams.

Afterward, they were confined to a single, spacious room to endure their pain. Through this punishment, they began to comprehend the agony Devika had suffered. Duryodhana, Dushasana, and Ashwathama's bodies burned with a searing pain, reflecting the torment they had inflicted upon Devika's heart.

Duryodhana, in anguish, uttered, "Now I understand my mistake. We were blinded by revenge. I can only think of my daughter, whose piercing loss breaks my heart." Each of them realized their errors through this punishment.

Duryodhana, Dushasana, and Ashwathama sought forgiveness from the Pandavas, pledging to humbly touch Devika's feet as a sign of remorse.

They were then served criminal food, symbolizing the hunger that Devika had been unable to satisfy due to the incident. It pained them deeply, realizing that they were famished while the one who had suffered hunger could not partake in the meal.

They were subjected to harsh taunts, echoing the language they had used to taunt Devika. This torture inflicted upon them was a just retribution, taken to a whole new level by divine intervention.

Karna felt his heart break, but his wife and sister reassured him. Gandhari and Dhritarashtra, too, offered their support.

The next day, Karna ordered the jailer to bring the eight culprits to the center of Hastinapur city. Duryodhana, Dushasana, and Ashwathama were dragged by their hair, just as Dushasana had done to Devika, while the Pandavas were brought on foot.

Karna gathered the people of Hastinapur and proclaimed, "If any man, be they royal or common, disrespects a woman, they shall receive this punishment."

The jailer began whipping them, the pain becoming unbearable. Karna then ordered the whip to be aimed at the thighs of Duryodhana, Dushasana, and Ashwathama.

Once the punishment was administered, they were taken back to prison, dragged along the ground. The citizens witnessed Karna's justice towards a woman. Devika observed it all, feeling a sense of relief as her tormentors received their just deserts. She approached Karna, requesting that their punishment be stopped, as she felt better now.

Karna granted her request but informed her that their punishment was far from over.

The eight were taken to the servant quarters of the Hastinapur palace, as they had become Karna's slaves. There, they were treated with medicine, being informed that Karna had ordered their presence in the Rajya Sabha. Although the medicine alleviated their pain, the scars remained.

The following morning, they were provided with slave garments, which they reluctantly donned before proceeding to the Rajya Sabha. Once there, they were ordered to sit in the servant's place. Karna commanded them to clean the entire Hastinapur palace and then the entire city.

After completing this task, Karna decided they would live as slaves for the next month. They were taken to Hastinapur's slave market for sale. The eight culprits of Devika experienced her loss of freedom firsthand.

At the slave market, they were beaten with lathis as per the customary tradition in Hastinapur. Once beaten, they were branded as slaves on their hands and sat in the auction area, heads bowed in submission.

Karna's men purchased them, separating them and taking them to different locations. The masters were all harsh and merciless. It was during this period that the eight individuals truly comprehended their mistakes.

After one month, they returned to Hastinapur and immediately prostrated themselves before Devika, seeking her forgiveness.

Devika forgave them, and all the brothers embraced one another, forming an unbreakable bond between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.

Karna watched this scene unfold, tears streaming down his face, silently hoping that one day Kunti would recognize him as her first-born son.